Numerous buildings and places of businesses today have columns and poles which are used to support canopies and other overhead structures and also typically have permanent ground structures and other utility members exposed to the public. The columns or poles are typically made of posts, box-beam or I-beam construction and typically are not aesthetically pleasing. Similarly, fuel pumps and other utility structural members which are exposed to the public at service stations and other businesses are typically unpleasing in structure and/or appearance.
Various systems are known for covering poles and columns with various types of cladding or facings, or for forming semi-circular decorative facing structures. Examples of these are shown, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,823,533 and 4,696,136. Some known systems have panels pre-formed in their final sizes and shapes. Also, a panel framing system is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,040,223. Similarly, there are known systems for improving the appearance of gasoline pumps and other utility structures.
Known systems often are expensive and/or difficult to manufacture, transport and assemble. The panel members used with such systems often require extensive forming and shaping procedures. Also, some systems utilize a large number of different parts with different sizes and shapes causing difficulty in assembly and installation. Known systems with preformed panels are usually difficult and expensive to package and ship to installation sites. Typically, larger and more expensive carton and crating materials are required, thus also causing high freight costs. Further, known systems are often not sufficiently sturdy or durable for their expected purpose and are difficult to replace or change if it becomes necessary to do so.